Here's Mark's top ten list, as gleaned from his blog post. While these ARE Mark's words, I find I agree with them and likely can't have framed it any better myself:

Top 10 reasons to subscribe to the IBM Software Newsletter:"I may be biased, but I can’t imagine being an IBM Software customer and not subscribing to the IBM Software Newsletter. If that logic alone sways you, stop reading and subscribe now. If you need more reasons, try these":

It’s the easiest way to stay current on all IBM software – including software made specially for System z and Power Systems.

It’s refreshingly low-maintenance – actually, it’s no-maintenance. You don’t have to ‘follow,’ ‘like,’ or ‘friend’ anybody or anything to read the IBM Software Newsletter. All you have to do is subscribe, and it arrives in your inbox every month.

It can make you a smarter software customer and a better software user. Every issue connects you to valuable resources created by IBM and industry experts – analyst reports, e-books, demos, webcasts, podcasts, videos, briefs – that can help you choose the right software for your business, and get more from that software every day.

It’s customizable. When you subscribe, just check off the types of IBM software or solutions you’re interested in. We’ll beef up your newsletter with extra content based on the interests you select.

Special editions! If you choose, you can receive four (4) System z Editions or two (2) Power Systems editions of the newsletter per year, as part of your subscription. These special editions are ‘front-loaded’ with news and resources about IBM software made specifically for your hardware.

It connects you to savings. The IBM Software Newsletter is an excellent way to stay informed about discounts on IBM software, training, event fees and more.

It covers the big events. We publish complete recaps of every flagship IBM software conference – including Lotusphere, Pulse, Impact, Innovate, and Information On Demand.

It’s FREE. Sure, most email newsletters are free. But very few free newsletters contain as much valuable content as the IBM Software Newsletter.

It’s easy – and smart – to share. Every issue comes with a link you can click to send a copy of the newsletter to a friend or colleague. (It turns out that friends and colleagues really like this.)

There’s no obligation. If you read The IBM Software Newsletter and decide it isn’t for you, just unsubscribe – you’ll never receive another issue again. Unless you reconsider and subscribe again.

From a Rational Support perspective, and like Mark, we see this as a total win for everyone, specifically with the ability to customize for just the things you are interested in! So subscribe to IBM Software Newsletter TODAY.

For any System z users: Subscribe by Friday, June 8 – and check the ‘System z Software’ interest on the subscription form – to make sure you receive our next System z Edition!

It was another gorgeous sunny day here in Littleton, Massachusetts yesterday - perfect for the IBM Green Team's Electric Car Show, where colleagues were invited to bring their electric cars for show and tell, while the rest of us drooled.

Of course, the Chevy Volt was well-represented, as might be expected. "It's Shake and Bake, and we helped!"

Ok, ok , ok.... *maybe* you aren't, but I have a feeling that you probably are even if you don't think so. Hang in here with me for a bit as I explain why I'm nearly certain you actually *are* a community manager.

It isn't JUST you, of course; we are all community managers if we're playing in social spaces. What I am specifically referring to is the idea that we each own responsibility for the content we post in social spaces, and in turn we own responsibility for the comments generated by and added to those posts. As active members in social networks, we create our own ad hoc communities every time we post content, be it a status updated about what we had for lunch or a longer missive on a facet of today's society. In each case, we own the responsibility of managing these ad hoc communities just like a 'formal' community manager would. Likewise, when we comment on other's posts, we are engaging as a member of their community and have the responsibility to act accordingly.

With today's accelerated shift to social platforms, the role of community manager is increasingly important but the definition needs to be expanded to include not only the formalized and structured communities, but also the unstructured, ad hoc, fluid communities. We are all community managers to some extent now, and need to manage not only our own posts, but the threads of conversation which they generate.

If you've been following me for any length of time on any of my social channels you've likely heard me espouse the brilliance of IBM's Social Computing Guidelines. While I may be biased, I do believe that even if I weren't an IBMer, I'd still be highlighting the SCG as a work of genius when it comes to corporate policy to guide employees in social business. But it goes even beyond that... these are wonderful guidelines beyond the immediate intended audience of IBMers... (I've cherry picked the ones which are really universal):

Be who you are.

Be thoughtful about how you present yourself in online social networks.

Respect copyright and fair use laws.

Respect your audience and your coworkers.

Add value.

Don't pick fights.

Be the first to respond to your own mistakes.

Adopt a warm, open and approachable tone.

Use your best judgment.

Aren't those genius in their simplicity?

As we look with new eyes on our own social communities, we can all benefit from the simple guidance put forth above, as these bits are relevant as universal truths to social interaction. Now that we can recognize our own responsibilities for the communities we've built around us, we need now (more than ever) the tools to help guide us through some of those inevitable missteps we will make (or have made) along the way.

This is the new universal truth. Gone are the early days of the internet where we were just participants in one huge community. Now we are all individually responsible for managing our spaces and ensuring our formal and ad hoc communities are adding value to the spaces. As we join in these new and upcoming spaces, we all need to recognize the responsibilities we have and gauge whether or not we are ready to take on that extra burden that comes with participating in social discussions.

If you are posting content to any social channel, you are already managing your communities, whether you realize it or not. It is upon us as individual contributors to ensure we are bringing value to and taking ownership of the spaces in which we play. Our successes depend upon it.

Following are the top ten technotes our TSEs shared with you over April to help resolve your Focal Point, Change, and Quality Manager PMRs. Are you running into any of the same issues as well? If so, check out these technotes and let us know if they helped solve your issues too!